An adjustable strut may be utilized to brace an unstable structure. For example, one or more adjustable struts may be positioned to bear part, or all, of a weight of one or more of a wall, a ceiling, or a roof of an unstable structure. In another example, one or more adjustable struts may be positioned to reinforce one or more damaged structures within a ship, such as bulkheads, sections of a hull, or one or more hatches. In yet another example, one or more adjustable struts may be positioned to brace one or more unstable structures of a vehicle following an accident. Accordingly, an adjustable strut may be utilized by emergency services, or other users, in time-sensitive situations where there is a possibility of structural failure of one or more load-bearing elements.
In one example, an adjustable strut may comprise a pair of structural members configured to allow a user to adjust a length of the strut between a contracted position, configured for ease of portability and storage, and a fully-extended position. As such, a first structural member of an adjustable strut may be configured to slide into a bore of a second structural member, to facilitate adjustment of a length of the strut. In one example, the first structural member may be loosely-positioned within the second structural member when in the contracted position. Accordingly, due to this loose connection, the pair of structural members may be inadvertently separated from one another during transport to a location where the strut's length is to be adjusted for structure bracing. As a result, valuable time may be lost in recovering and reconfiguring the separated members. In another example, the two structural members may inadvertently slide relative to one another from a contracted position to an extended position while the adjustable strut is transported. This inadvertent sliding may be as a result of, among others, a change in orientation of the adjustable strut as it is transported, or as a result of the adjustable strut being inadvertently dropped. As such, this inadvertent sliding may make transporting the adjustable strut cumbersome.
In another example, a pair of structural members of an adjustable strut may be locked together in a contracted position. However, the operation of the locking mechanism utilized in such an adjustable strut may not be readily intuitive, or sufficiently fast enough for disengagement in a time-sensitive situation.
Accordingly, a need exists for an adjustable strut, configured to brace an unstable structure, and having an improved locking mechanism allowing for fast adjustment of the strut from a collapsed (transport) position to an extended position.